New Year's Resolutions

Happy (almost) New Year!

It’s that time of year again.  Most of us are recovering from our holiday celebrations and now find that we are ready to set resolutions.  But how do we do this in a way such that we don’t dread the process?  This year I suggest a more positive approach to resolutions so that you look forward to achieving them.

Set aside one or two hours to set your resolutions.  Go to your favorite coffee shop or library, find a quiet space and get yourself a cup of tea.  Then choose some motivating tunes or calming music, open your laptop or notebook and start writing.

To start, do a review of your year, focusing on your achievements.  Did you start a new job, have a baby, move to a new house?   Perhaps you managed a stressful situation really well or you comforted a friend in time of need.  If you are reading this blog, then you have taken interest in your health and wellness which is an accomplishment!  Write all of this down and then congratulate yourself for your successes.  

Next, think about what you would like to achieve in 2011.  Perhaps you want to lose weight, eat better, run a 10K sleep well or just feel happier.  Write this down.

Now, phrase these goals in terms that are measurable, achievable and positive.  You don’t want to set goals that set yourself up for failure!  Instead of only focusing on a number of pounds, think about losing body fat or dropping a dress size.  Also, make sure that your goal is within a healthy range.

Then write down how you plan to achieve these goals.  This is the key to success!  To lose weight you will want to change your diet, increase your activity and mobilize your support networks.

And there’s one more step in the whole process.  It’s all in how your phrase things.  Keep your resolutions positive! Let me give you a simple example:

Resolution: I resolve to eat less chocolate:

Rephrase as: I resolve to choose snacks that are healthy and nourish my body.  

How I plan to accomplish this:

1. Buy healthy snacks to keep in the house.
2. Choose chocolate that is high quality and eat in small quantity
3. When the urge to eat chocolate occurs, ask myself if chocolate is what I really want - perhaps a moment of meditation or calling a good friend will be more nourishing.

Resolutions can be a great way to set in motion positive changes in your life.  Don’t feel burdened by them but rather excited by the possibility of enriching your life.  If you would like to discuss your resolutions and how to phrase them in a positive way, please feel free to contact me.

Be well.

Maintaining Fitness

I love this article about maintaining fitness!  But the catch is that you have to have a base of fitness to start.  For one thing, it is reassuring during crazy weeks or even months - as long as you continue to do some sort of physical activity at least once or twice a week, you won't lose all of your gains in strength and endurance.  Of course, it wouldn't be ideal to continue that over an extended period of time but in the short-term, it's ok.

The last few weeks have proven challenging for me to get to the gym!  And when I'm there, I often have only 20 or 30 minutes to do some sort of workout.  Today I was able to get in a longer workout and was pleasantly surprised that I'm pretty much where I left off a couple of weeks ago.  So, I am living proof - as long as you do something you can continue to make progress once you get back into a regular program.

Be well.

Great tips from The Happiness Project

Wow, what a crazy time of year.  I have exciting news to share in the The New Year but for now, enjoy this post from The Happiness Project.

Be well.

Becoming a fit parent

There is so much pressure on parents.  We are constantly being bombarded with information that our children are inactive, undernourished and overfed, disengaged and stressed.  But we must ask ourselves, where are they learning this?  What do we teach them when we live our lives in an unfit way?  Of course, we would like the schools to have more activity, better nutrition and less testing but what are we  modeling at home and on the weekends?

Are we, as parents, teaching them to live a fit life?  

How can being fit make us better parents?

By not taking the time to care for ourselves we are not modeling behavior that we need our children to develop.  Not just for their health now, but for their health as they move through the challenging stages of their lives. We need them to learn from us how to incorporate fitness into their lives and how to live a full and fit life.  

I'm not a fan of affirmations, but this one literally just came to me.  

When I move my body,

I have more energy for my child.

When I build my muscles,

I have more strength for parenting.

When I nourish my body,

I am better able to nurture my child.

And when I engage my spirit,

I am an engaged parent.

Before I incorporated fitness into my life, I was not the parent I wanted to be.  My patience with Lucy was limited.  While she played outside, I sat, exhausted, in a fold-up chair. I was tired.  I was overwhelmed. I was a bit lost.

When I started to exercise, eat better and reach out to friends who could support me, I found that I became a more patient parent.  I took the time to listen to Lucy and respond to her in a respectful way.  I set boundaries that were healthy for both of us.  And I had the energy to play with her. I took the time to cook with her and teach her about food.  Of course, I'm not perfect and I get frustrated when I shouldn't and I occasionally check-out while scanning facebook, but overall, I feel that I am better parent and model for my child.

This is not meant to put more pressure on us as parents but rather to remind us of the old term that when we take care of ourselves, we are better able to take care of others.  So I encourage you to take care of yourself.  When you incorporate fitness into your life, you become a more fit parent, pun intended.

Be well.

Recharging and Refueling

The past two and a half weeks have been incredibly draining both physically and emotionally.  We had two deaths in the family and found ourselves traveling either up or down the I-95 corridor on a near daily basis.  Miraculously I was able to maintain some degree of an exercise routine but my meals were rushed and unplanned and my spiritual self was stressed and exhausted.

Then, Thanksgiving arrived which was a mixed blessing.  We still traveled between NYC and Philly to see family but we were no longer traveling for funerals or shiva; we were taking a break to be with the family left behind who find themselves grieving and trying to move forward.  We reminisced, laughed and rested.

Today I awoke feeling depleted.  Too tired to eat with just enough energy to drink coffee.  I tried to rest and read the NY Times but even that required too much.  I pulled out my knitting but that did not offer the comfort that it usually provides as my hands move in sync, yarn gliding through my fingers.  No, my spirit needed something else but I didn't know what.

When I speak to clients, I talk about four areas of fitness:  cardiovascular, strength, nutrition and spiritual.  The last does not necessarily refer to religion but rather to activities, people or experiences that renew your soul.  That fill you up.  It occurred to me that I was not in a spiritually fit place and my usual coping skills either were not working or were not available as most of my friends were also away visiting family.

And, then a miracle.  Lucy and I were going through old family photos when she suggested that we do some yoga.  I had mentioned that I needed to exercise but that it seemed a bit cold and windy for a jog.  So, she took it upon herself to do sun salutation and suggested that I do the same.  I agreed with a bit of hesitation as I haven't practiced yoga in a while but soon I found myself breathing in rhythm with my body, moving from one pose to the next.

Lucy got bored, as my 6 year-olds do, but I continued on.  Sun salutation, standing poses, inversions, twists.  After 30 minutes my energy improved and I found myself in awe of what my body could do.  Over the last 18 months I have improved my endurance, strength and flexibility.  And now, I could seamlessly move from downward dog into cobra, shifting the weight of my body over my hands without touching my knees.  Wow.

My lungs sighed, my shoulders dropped and my eyes brightened.  My body was strong and I was grateful to be in it.  We lost two wonderful people two weeks ago but we are still here, living, breathing, connecting.  Just a few minutes of yoga with my child had helped me to find the energy to move through today and hopefully I will continue to incorporate this into my fit life.

How do you stay spiritually fit?

Be well.

My first inspirational email

I decided to send out an email to all my current and potential clients and a few other willing friends.  Maybe it's a bit too cheesy?  But, at the same time, I really believe what I've written here.  What do you think?

With the holidays just around the corner I wanted to send a note encouraging you to enjoy yourselves over the coming weeks.  The media bombards us with messages about how much weight we will gain, how stressed we will be and how much money we will spend.  This hardly makes us look forward to the holidays – instead this time of year becomes a dreaded obligation.

So, how to change this mentality, maintain one’s fitness and have fun?  Here are a few suggestions. 

1. Move your body.  Exercise helps manage stress.  If you can’t get to the gym, go for a walk outside.  Go to the mall and walk around for 20 minutes before beginning your shopping.
2. Call a friend or loved one.  Stuck on the I-95 corridor? Hand someone else the wheel and check-in with an old friend.
3. Play a game.  Pull out Scrabble or Checkers.  Laugh, compete and distract yourself.
4. Enjoy your food.  Do try to eat healthy meals but also allow yourself the pecan pie you get once a year or your mother’s fabulous sweet potatoes. 
5. Meditate.  Give yourself 10 minutes a day where you sit quietly, allowing your body to fill with breath and relax. 
6. Eat breakfast everyday.  Oatmeal, Eggs, Peanut Butter, Fruit, Yogurt.  You will begin your day nourished and ready.
7. Drink your water.  Of course you know this already!  Also, traveling is a dehydrating experience. 

I wish you all a fun, fit and fabulous holiday season.

Be well.

keeping the momentum

The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur as I learn the lingo and details of a whole different industry. I am slowly but surely building a client base and continue to be excited about the direction I have taken with my professional life.  My very favorite part though is just being around people who are in generally good health and provide motivation to others.  It's a positive job and the potential to impact an individual's life is pretty great.

One of the things that I have done recently is to write down my own goals both professionally and personally.  It is easy to get into a habit of things and not refocus oneself.  So, I actually set a target weight goal which is keeping me motivated with my eating habits and I also set a goal for exercise - how much, what kind, etc.  You would think that by being at the gym getting in my exercise is easy but like anything else there's always an excuse not to exercise and I refuse to fall into poor habits.

My exercise routine has changed a bit but I still try to get in 30-60 minutes about 5 times a week.  And it could really be anything from a functional whole body circuit to hitting the treadmill to spinning.  At this point, the important thing is TO DO SOMETHING that elevates my heart rate and improves my strength conditioning.  Currently I'm focusing on my core and making sure that it is constantly activated when I'm training.  In turn, my abs are really responding to this and my back rarely hurts.  Amazing how the body can adjust to exercise and make improvements.

As humans, we were designed to be active, not sedentary.  Increasing our overall fitness improves mood, brain activity, immune responses etc.  And if done right, we will look better in our clothes, our skin will be rosier and we'll stand taller.

Some trainers prefer to work with clients who have already attained a high level of fitness but that's not my ideal client.  I want to help an individual find her inner strength to improve herself.  To know that she is strong and powerful.  That she can make changes for the better and that these changes will improve her quality of life.  It may sound a bit naive and optimistic but I'm ok with that.  The rest of life is hard and often downright horrible - I want to offer people hope for a better self.

And, I've lived through the change and I'm still working on myself.  Recently I went to the doctor for my annual exam which included blood work.  I was really nervous about the results.  What if all this exercise and dietary changes hadn't changed what was going on inside of me?  I knew that it had changed me in other ways but when it comes down to it, without improvement of my cholesterol and other levels, it would have been wasted.  Well, my cholesterol is at its lowest in years and is actually in the normal range as well as my triglycerides.  So, the bottom line is that this works.  I didn't take a pill, I didn't have surgery.  I did this with the help of my trainer, my family and friends and myself.

Be well and stay motivated.  It's worth it.